A mock awards ceremony at a Texas junior high school had major backlash after teachers named 13-year-old Lizeth Villanueva “most likely to become a terrorist”.
The teachers had meant it as a joke, as part of a mock awards ceremony that took place at Anthony Aguirre Junior High during an advanced class meant to prepare students for college. Other students had been named “most likely to cry for every little thing” and “most likely to be homeless”. Villanueva, an honours student, was shocked to be given the award as the teachers laughed.
Regarding the teacher who had given her the award, Villanueva stated, “She said that some people might get offended, but she doesn’t really care about our feelings.”
This comes on the heels of the Manchester Arena attack, where a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured dozens more.
Villanueva’s mother, Ena Hernandez, was rightfully upset. “It doesn’t look good at all, especially coming from a teacher, a grown-up woman,” she said. “It doesn’t look good because everything that’s going on right now.”
Hernandez, though having heard principal Eric Lathan personally apologize during a meeting at the school and denounce the awards ceremony on Twitter, still wants the teacher fired. People all over social media are agreeing with her after a local journalist broke the story.
Student named "most likely to become a terrorist" by teachers. @ChannelviewISD doesn't find it funny. My story: #khou11 at 5:00 & 6:00 pic.twitter.com/ELkS8NAney
— Jason Miles (@JMilesKHOU) May 25, 2017
Disciplined? This teacher should be fired. #horrible
— Tracy Almeda-Singian (@TracySingian) May 26, 2017
what an awful thing for those teachers to condone. that student did not deserve to be the butt of that wholly inappropriate joke.
— Björn Chortler (@dominickguzzo) May 26, 2017
I hope there are some vacancies at this school afterwards.
— ✊?✊?✊?Glitter Viking Lyn #BLM (@Heartless_Lyn) May 26, 2017
https://twitter.com/tiredyoonmin/status/867903488830918657
The teachers involved have been disciplined, and Villanueva said they’d been suspended. Hernandez doesn’t think that’s enough. “Get fired, at least, or something.” She told KHOU-TV.
The school district quickly got involved. Channelview Independent School District spokesman Mark Kramer told KRPC that it “wasn’t well thought out” and was “a poor attempt to poke fun”. The district released a statement apologizing for “the insensitive and offensive fake mock awards” and said that the investigation is still on-going.
Villanueva hasn’t returned to school as of yet. She said she doesn’t “feel comfortable being in the same classroom as [the teacher].”
